


remind him how it used to be

by orphan_account



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Fluff, Getting Back Together, M/M, Songfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-05
Updated: 2016-02-05
Packaged: 2018-05-18 09:20:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,677
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5922046
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He walks over to the door and wraps his fingers around the handle. It would be stupid to open the door, wouldn't it? Deciding it's probably nothing serious, he swings it open, staring at the boy in front of him, pale-faced and shaking from the rain.</p><p>“Are you insane?” Minghao asks, because Vernon doesn't have a car and judging by how he's soaked to the bone, he definitely walked over a mile to get here. Vernon shrugs, arms wrapped around himself in a sad attempt to keep in some body heat. “What the hell are you doing here?”</p><p>“I'll explain everything,” Vernon promises, jaw shaking. “Please let me in, holy shit, I'm freezing.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	remind him how it used to be

**Author's Note:**

> This story is definitely based off of How You Get The Girl by Taylor Swift.
> 
> Vernon shows up to his ex-boyfriend's house, six months after the breakup.

It's raining harder than it has in a long time. The thunder is shaking Minghao's entire house, something he isn't fond of, but he swallows his fear and curls up under the blankets on the couch. His parents have been working late-night shifts recently, and he doesn't mind, but it's boring when he's home alone. He orders too much take-out and watches too many shitty movies, but it beats going out and doing something stupid, especially when it's storming this hard.

A bolt of lightning causes the living room to light up and he groans. The central heating in his house is already broken, which is obvious by the three blankets he has piled on his lap, but he's still chilled to the bone. It must be freezing outside, even if it's only November. Minghao reaches over to grab a handful of popcorn from the bowl on the coffee table, shoving it quickly into his mouth as he tries to decide whether or not the movie playing on the television above the fireplace is worth finishing.

There's a knock at the door, then, and Minghao blanches. Nobody is supposed to be out in this storm right now, and most of his friends know his parents are away tonight. _I'm going to get killed if I open the door_ , he thinks, shooting a glance over to the front door. A beat, then another knock, more aggressive this time. _A murderer wouldn't... knock, would they?_ Minghao throws the blankets off of his lap, shivering from the cold air, and stands up hesitantly.

He walks over to the door and wraps his fingers around the handle. _It would be stupid to open the door, wouldn't it?_ Deciding it's probably nothing serious, he swings it open, staring at the boy in front of him, pale-faced and shaking from the rain.

“Are you insane?” Minghao asks, because Vernon doesn't have a car and judging by how he's soaked to the bone, he definitely walked over a mile to get here. Vernon shrugs, arms wrapped around himself in a sad attempt to keep in some body heat. “What the hell are you doing here?”  
  
“I'll explain everything,” Vernon promises, jaw shaking. “Please let me in, holy shit, I'm _freezing_.” Minghao steps to the side and Vernon gladly walks into the room, kicking off his shoes and leaving them on the welcome mat. He shuts the door behind him and slumps against it, water dripping from his hair and sliding down his face.

Minghao considers his options while staring at his ex-boyfriend, who looks positively miserable. “Stay here,” he says after a moment, leaving to retrieve towels and dry clothes. It takes him at least three minutes to decide if he wants to give Vernon back one of the t-shirts he left here before they broke up, but Minghao still wears them, even if he wouldn't admit it. Instead, he grabs one of his own shirts, along with boxers and sweatpants, and folds them on top of the towels he has.

Vernon has already peeled off his shirt when Minghao returns, his skin flushed from the harsh winds outside. Minghao almost pities him, but _isn't this his fault?_ “Here,” he says, unfolding a towel and handing it to Vernon. The other boy accepts it, dragging it through his hair and down his neck. The water dripping down his chest is enough to make Minghao stare for a moment too long, but Vernon doesn't seem to notice. “You can take a bath, if you want.”

“Yeah?” Vernon asks, his expression softening. Minghao wants to pull him back into his arms and keep him safe from the disgusting world outside. “That would be amazing. Are you sure?”

Minghao swallows his pride and nods. “Here, take these,” he says, handing the clothes and second towel to Vernon. They exchange smiles for a moment, Vernon thanking him again before he starts down the hallway to the bathroom, because _Vernon still knows where everything in this house is. This is a bad idea. Why is he here?_

The movie is still playing on the television screen, and Minghao doesn't know how long Vernon will be, so he sits back down and watches the rest of it. It plays for another half an hour, then Minghao turns it off, snuggling down further into his cocoon of blankets on the couch. He tries to think about anything else other than his ex-boyfriend soaking in his bathtub right now, but it's hard when Vernon just showed up out of the blue.

Minghao has always been too nice. If he had a brain, he probably would have kicked Vernon out and told him never to come back again. It's not like they particularly ended on a bad note – sure, they haven't talked for six months, but Minghao doesn't purposely avoid them. They have no classes in school together, don't do the same extra-curricular activities, don't take the same bus. Minghao has no friends that are acquainted with Vernon, either.

Everything stopped a while ago, and Minghao hasn't been hung up over it. He has some of Vernon's clothes, some books and other things that he left at his house and hadn't ever retrieved. He knows that Vernon still has some of his stuff, too, because sometimes they pass each other in the hallway and Vernon is wearing one of his old shirts. It's almost comforting knowing that they're still alright with each other, even if everything has been weird since the break-up.

Vernon walks out of the bathroom a few minutes later, dressed entirely in Minghao's clothes, and it's beautiful. He nervously sits on the couch, hands shaking from either nerves or how cold it is in the house. “Sorry to intrude like this,” he says, and Minghao knows he's not actually sorry. He can read Vernon like a book. “I promise I have a good reason.”

Minghao pulls one of the blankets off his lap and throws it on Vernon instead, the boy laughing quietly in response. “I don't want this to be awkward,” he says, and Vernon nods, tugging his feet onto the couch and draping himself in the blanket. “Just a conversation, right?”

“Right.” Vernon still feels nervous, his teeth grinding together unbeknownst to him, and Minghao can hear it. Otherwise, it's quiet for a moment as each of them gather their thoughts. “I never wanted to break up with you,” Vernon starts, looking down at the floor rather than at Minghao. “You deserved the world, and I never knew if I could give that to you.”

“It's been six months,” Minghao whispers, his voice breaking in the middle of his sentence. Vernon looks guilty once he says that, his expression changing almost too quickly. “You know I didn't want it to end, either. But it's been _six months_ , Vernon.”

Vernon drags a hand through his damp hair and laughs bitterly, the sound almost teasing. “I know it's been six months, Minghao. I'm the one who's been waiting to say this.” He finally looks back up, and Minghao bites the inside of his cheek _hard_ , trying not to cry. “I would've waited forever if I had to. You know that.”

Silence envelopes the room. Vernon stands back up and walks over to the mantle, the heat from the fire warming his feet as he looks at the pictures there. “Your parents never took this down,” he says, picking up a framed photo of him and Minghao. He remembers that day well – last summer, Minghao's parents invited him to Orlando, and it was one of the best weeks of his life. They'd just gotten off of a rollercoaster, and Minghao was _thrilled_ , his windswept hair and flushed face showing through even on the photograph. Vernon's arms are around his waist, his lips pressed to his cheek, and looking at it almost makes him nauseous.

“I love that picture,” Minghao says, throwing the blankets off his lap and crossing the room. He takes the frame out of Vernon's hands and stares at the photograph, smiling gently at how happy they look together. “It took you an hour to convince me to get on that rollercoaster,” he says.

“But you loved it,” Vernon notes. Minghao glances up at him, smiling, and then sets the frame back on the mantle. He picks up another one, a photo of them with Minghao's cousin's dog. Both of them are in the middle of laughing, the dog splayed out over their laps, and it almost breaks Vernon's heart to look at.

“Sandy died in August,” Minghao mumbles, referring to the dog in the photograph. “My cousins were destroyed. She was such a good dog.”

Vernon takes the frame and sets it back on the mantle. “I miss us,” he says, looking at Minghao. “I miss _you_.”

Minghao reaches up to set his hand on the side of Vernon's face, their eyes meeting. “I miss you, too,” he says, almost sadly. Vernon's hands slide to his waist and he feels like crying, for no apparent reason. “I've missed you for months. It's not fair.”

Vernon pulls him closer, his eyes falling shut as their lips meet. Minghao sighs in contentment, both of his hands moving to the back of Vernon's neck. He pulls away after a second, and Vernon whines in protest, chasing his lips. “I love you,” Minghao whispers, pressing his lips to Vernon's again.

“I love you more,” Vernon counters, and Minghao giggles, dropping his forehead onto Vernon's shoulder. “I want you forever.”

“You have me forever.” Minghao reaches down to grab Vernon's hands, intertwining their fingers. “No backing out this time. I promise.”

Vernon can't keep himself from smiling. He leans forward to kiss Minghao again, but the other boy pulls away, tugging him down the hallway instead. “My room is a lot warmer,” he says, and there's something in his tone that makes Vernon's chest fill with warmth. He swears Minghao is going to be the death of him.

 _And what a great way to go out_ , he thinks, falling onto his boyfriend's bed.


End file.
